Enameled sheet-metal tile



W. THOMAS ENAMELED SHEET METAL TILE O cf. 9, 1928. 1,687,355

Filed Oct. 6, 1926 @MMM l3o uenameled sheet-metal tiles,

Patented Oct. 9,

UNITED STATES PATE-NT oFFii-z.

WINGATE THOAS, OIIEl CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO PORCELAIN TILE COMPANY, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

ENAMELED SHEET-METAL TILE.

Application. led October 6, 1926. Serial No. 139,806.

This invention relates to the art disclosed in Patent No. 1,594,614, granted A ugust 3, 1926, to George D. Haines. The Haines patent illustrates and describes a-me`thod of 5 constructing tiled walls which includes the application of enameled sheet-metal tiles to a foundation sheet having grooves or the like to receive flanges on the tiles. In practice, the tiles are usually three inches'wide and six inches long, although they may be -o f any desired dimensions. Preferably, each tile has a marginal flange on all four 'sides to extendv into the'locating grooves in the foundation A sheet. The outer face of the tile, including its flanges, is coated with vitreous enamel.

In tiling a surface in accordance with the Haines patent, it is almost always the case kthat the 'length of the wall, ceiling or other surface is not aneXact multiple of the length of the tile, making allowance for the cementfilled joints between the tile. Moreover, the tiles aie usually set to break Joints. It 1s therefore necessary to provide fractional tiles to fill the required space, such fractional tiles .25, varying in length from one-eight inch up.-

For various reasons it is impracticable to p rovide machinery o r implements whereby tiles may be ,satisfactorily cut on the Jobf to the required length. Indeed, the cutting of even at the factory, is diflicult of satisfactoryy performance, inasmuch as the enamel is apt to shatter for 'some distance from the line of severance, and the material being cut soon dulls or destroys the cutting element.

While fractional-length tiles can be made by methods heretofore used, the cost of stamping out and enameling a small tile is practically the same as for a full-size tile, andtiles 40 of very short length are troublesome to handle in the manufacturing operations.

The object of the present invention is to solve theA difficulties above Yeferred to. This object has been attained by making frac- '45 tional-length tiles in connected sets, as will appear more fully from the following description. l In the accompanying-drawings@- Figure 1 is a face or plan View of a connected series or set of fractional-length tiles constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side edge view of a series of frac.- tional-length tiles shown in Fig. 1

length tile after separation from a series of Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View on an enlarged scale. f Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but sliowing tiles of a dierent length from those illustratedin Fig. l. A i

Fig. 5 is a perspective viewy of a fractionalsuch tiles. I

The invention contemplates the production of connected sets of vitreous-enameled sheetinetal tiles of less than, full length. Preferably,.the length of thefractional-length tiles will be multiples of one-eighthfof an inch up to about three inches in length. Fig; 1 illustrates a connected set or series of lfractlonal-length tiles l, each having at its ends rearwardly extending flanges 2 to enter the tile-locating grooves of the foundation sheet. The outer face of the tile, including its flanges, is coated with vitreous enamel, the inner side of the tile preferably also being enameled. The flanges 2 of the series of fractional-length tile's shown in Fig. 1 are con- I iected together by narrow webs 2a. As shown in Fig. 2, these webs are of less width than the, flanges.

A connected series of' fractional-length tiles constructed in accordance with my in-' vention mayfbe of any convenient length, and the number f fractional-length tiles in each set will vary with the length of each tile and other practical considerations. Fig. 4 illustrates a connectedset of two fractional-length tiles l, said tiles being connected together by narrow webs, such as 2a.

A connected series of fractional-length tiles, such as hereinbefore described, may be manufactured very cheaply. In a steel sheet or strip of the proper width a series of transverse slots 3 are punched, the ends of the slots extending relatively close to the edges of the strip. The side or long edges of the strip are then bent to form flanges 2 whi-ch are perpendicular to the plane of the strip, the line along which bending occurs intersecting the slots 3 so that the webs 2 at the ends of the slots are narrower than the flanges. The

lconnected series of fractional-length tiles y rower than the flanges 2, any

length tile. inasmuch as the tiles are spaced apart from each other, the long or side edges of the tiles become coated with enamel, there being in consequence no raw or unfinished edges.

in practice, the tile setter is supplied with a quantity of connected sets of fractionallength tiles of dierent lengths. When a fractional-length tile is needed, the tile setter selects a set of tiles of the required length and either breaks a tile from the set or cuts ofi' the tile by means of a tin snip. rilhewebs 2a, while' of suflicient strength and rigidity to hold the tiles together during the various manufacturing operations and in transportation, are so narrow as to be easily severed by bending or shearing. rlFhe webs 2' being narprojection 2X (Fig. 5) remaining from the cutting or breaking operation is at a distance from the face of the tile and becomes embedded in the cement-filled joint, and hence does not mar the appearance of the finished job.

inasmuch as the vertically extending grooves of the foundation sheet extend at regular distances from each other and are arranged to break joints, there will not be a continunus vertical. groove each end of the matassa space to be tiled; consequently the fractionallength tiles herein disclosed have no flanges at their long sides, the flanges 2 being provided only at the ends of said tiles to fit within the horizontal grooves of the foundation sheet.

lt will be seen that the invention herein disclosed obviates the expense and difliculties involved in manufacturing separate fractional-length tiles and in cutting fulllength tiles to produce the required fractional lengths;

l claim as my invention:

l. A connected set of fractional-length flanged enameled sheet-metal tiles, said set comprising a plurality of fractional-length tiles, and Webs connecting the flanges of said tiles, said Webs being narrower than the flanges.

2. A. connected set ofv fractional-length flanged enameled sheet-metal tiles, said set comprising a plurality of fractional-length tiles, each tile being JLlangedI at two opposite edges, and the tiles being united only at said flanged edges.

lin testimony whereof, ll have hereunto affixed my signature.

W THMAS. 

